25 Years Ago New County Jail Will Be Built – Carroll County Commissioners Robert M. McKinney and Paul J. Walsh have officially approved the building of a new county jail in Westminster for Carroll County. The official letter was not signed by the third Commissioner, Scott S. Bair, Jr., as he was scheduled to go to the hospital for surgery. The Commissioners indicated plans and specifications would be available in the architect’s office (Prentiss Browne) and in the County Treasurer’s office for prospective bidders. The issue of a new county jail has been debated for several years. In 1968 the State Jail Inspector stated the jail was not usable and ordered it closed. Since that time, the county has been transporting prisoners to
the Baltimore city jail. Community Reporter, February 13, 1970.
50 Years Ago
TANEYTOWN HAS DESTRUCTIVE FIRE – Warehouse With 30,000 Cases of Peas and Corn Burns For A. W. Feeser, Canner – Fire of undetermined origin Sunday morning destroyed the large frame warehouse of the A. W. Feeser Canning Company plant in Taneytown along the Littlestown-Taneytown road. The damage was estimated by B. B. Chenowith, manager of the plant, at $100,000. Three fire engines from the Taneytown fire company, two from Union Bridge and one from Westminster battled the flames from 11 a.m. when they were discovered until 3:30 p.m., succeeding in saving the canning factory containing machinery and equipment, which was separated from the warehouse only by a tenfoot alley. A large barn nearby in which steers were stabled was also saved. The structure destroyed was 40 by 400 feet in dimensions and contained 30,000 cases of processed peas and sugar corn, a government order awaiting shipment in a few days. Some of this, it is believed, may be salvaged. The spring season’s supply of seed peas and corn was completely destroyed. Members of the Taneytown fire company remained at the scene of the fire all night. The buildings and contents destroyed is full insured. Democratic Advocate, February 9, 1945.
75 Years Ago
The Cities Must Experience Industrial Crash – Prof. T. C. Atkeson, Washington representative of the National Grange, says that the economic crash that will bring down the cost of
living, must originate in the cities, and reach such an extent that those who have left the country sections for “big wages” will come back to the country, and that the cities need to be more concerned about the problem than farming communities. He says there is no cure for high prices that Congress, or anybody, can provide, but that the situation must work itself out. Incidentally he states as a fact that hardly 1 percent of the boys who used to work on farms before the war, have gone back to the country, and that fully half of the American Expeditionary force came from the farms. He says the labor situation is rapidly making it impossible for the farmers to feed the country, and that eventually somebody is going to go hungry. Union Bridge Pilot, February 13, 1920.
100 Years Ago
Capture of Charles Wells – Charles Wells, the notorious burglar, who escaped from the jail of this county, in company with Joseph Cost, on the night of December 17th, and has since been
terrorizing the people of various localities in Carroll and Baltimore counties, and between Carlisle and Harrisburg, Pa., was at last brought to bay and compelled to surrender, on Saturday last, after a hot fight with the police department of Harrisburg, and a number of citizens who joined in the pursuit. The capture was really made by Patrolman Block, of Harrisburg. Lieutenant Holstein and Block were pursuing Wells, and a companion named Charles Johnson, in a sleigh. Wells shot their horse, which ran away and Black was thrown out of the sleigh. He got behind a fence and opened fire on the robbers with a shotgun. Fifty shots were fired at Block who fired nine loads of buckshot. The ammunition of the robbers
became exhausted and they surrendered. American Sentinel, February 9, 1895.